NZ man tells Aust police knife 'defensive weapon'

A New Zealander fined A$250 ($307) for carrying a knife in downtown Ipswich, a city close to Brisbane, told police he feared for his safety in his new country.

Jonathan Wade Grave, 34, was found sitting in a city street on November 21, intoxicated and eating pizza from a box with a knife sticking out of the back pocket of his pants, the Queensland Times reported.

Magistrate Sheryl Cornack fined Grave - who works at Ipswich Hospital - but ordered that no conviction be recorded.